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Foundation Certificate in English for Academic Purposes (FCEAP) is an accredited course for International and European students. It is designed to help you develop your general and academic English skills and to prepare you for successful study at a British university. It offers a wonderful opportunity to exchange opinions with students from different cultures and backgrounds.

Learning about the lives and experiences of other students in your class and throughout the University will broaden your views and help you think reflectively. This will give you many advantages in terms of personal, academic and professional development.

What's covered in the course?

The FCEAP is carefully designed to consider your needs as a student studying a degree course in the UK. We regularly communicate with university course directors in order to gain information regarding changing assessment methods, so when necessary we can adjust our assessments to reflect changes in our Schools and Faculties.

The course has six modules. In the first semester you study Reading and Writing Development, Speaking and Communication Skills and Birmingham: Past and Present. In the second semester you study Listening for Academic Purposes, Reading and Writing for University and Speaking for University Purposes. The FCEAP offers varied learning environment and is taught by very experienced teachers who will also meet with you on an individual basis in one-to-one tutorials.

Assessments are designed to meet individual needs and increase confidence in using English, both in social and academic contexts.

This course has quality tutors who teach you many different methods of improving your English skills in preparation for studying a Bachelor or Masters degree. I also learned about British lifestyle, history and culture through exchange experiences which is essential knowledge for studying in the UK.Areeyanan Satthamsakul, Student

Why Choose Us?

FCEAP has an excellent pass rate

FCEAP is a Foundation Certificate, so achievement is consistent with the national standard of awards

The course is administered by the School of Education and Social Work, and is therefore governed by extensive quality assurance procedures

The course is run over one or two semesters so you can enter the programme at the level most suited to your needs. Either entry point allows you plenty of time to get to know the University, the city and the local culture before starting your main degree programme

FCEAP has a varied learning environment and there is a range of assessments to suit all learning styles, such as exams, essays, presentations and a group video project which you will organise and manage independently with members of your team

assessments are designed to meet individual needs and increase confidence in using English, both in social and academic contexts

Student support and pastoral care are important features of FCEAP and students can meet tutors in one-one tutorials throughout the programme

This course is open to International students

Entry Requirements

UK students

Part 1 and 2: minimum IELTS 4.5 or equivalent

Part 2 only: minimum IELTS 5 or equivalent

International students

Part 1 and 2: minimum IELTS 4.5 or equivalent

Part 2 only: minimum IELTS 5 or equivalent

Successful completion of the Foundation Certificate in English for Academic Purposes does not provide a formal English language qualification that would necessarily be accepted by other Universities or external bodies as equivalent to IELTS 6.0 or IELTS 6.5.

UK or EU students

International Students

Award

Start

Mode

Duration

Fees

Foundation Certificate

Sep 2019

FT

Part 1 and 2: September to June

£9,100 per year

Foundation Certificate

Feb 2020

FT

Part 2 only: February to June

£4,550 per year

If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead. The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.

Guidance for UK/EU students

UK and EU students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.

Further Information

Part One

In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).

Birmingham: Past and Present

20 credits

The FCEAP is intended to support you as an overseas student who wishes to study an academic course here at Birmingham City University, or occasionally at another British Higher Education institution. The course comprises six modules, all of which are designed to complement each other and form a cohesive programme.

In line with the Programme Philosophy, this module is based on a practice-led, knowledge applied curriculum where most of your learning is experiential and takes place outside the classroom. It is believed that learning about British cultural issues and the lives and experiences of other people from diverse countries and backgrounds will help you broaden your views and develop reflective thinking, offering many advantages in terms of personal and professional development.

This module is designed to help you develop your English skills in Listening and Speaking. It provides you with opportunities to share ideas with students from other countries which will broaden your views and help prepare you for a British university education.

This module is designed to help you pursue excellence in the fields of reading and writing. For this reason, the module builds on what you already know and, step by step, helps you acquire the skills required for the second semester module, Reading and Writing for University. The practice-led, knowledge applied approach to learning and teaching provides you with opportunities to use your reading and writing skills in authentic situations.

Part Two

In order to complete this course, you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).

Speaking for University Purposes

20 credits

This module adopts a practice-led, knowledge applied, learning approach that will provide opportunities for you to pursue excellence and increase competence in the four English language skills that can subsequently be applied to all aspects of academic or professional practice. However, the focus will be on applying those skills to speaking tasks so that you are able to participate successfully in academic oral activities.

This module uses a practice-led, knowledge applied, learning strategy that will enhance your competence in listening. To this end, the module exposes you to the types of texts and tasks that you will encounter in your academic course work and lecture material specially prepared by experts in their field. Predicting content, focusing on main ideas, taking comprehensive notes, reviewing your notes effectively and summarising, making use of lecture introductions, becoming familiar with the structure of lectures, identifying unstressed words that are spoken quickly, recognising word and sentence stress, and peer evaluation activities are some of the listening tasks designed to help you understand spoken English.

Reading and Writing for University is designed to prepare you for academic life in a British university. For some of you this will mean being presented with unfamiliar ways of teaching and learning. This module will provide you with a comprehensive experience of the reading and writing culture of a UK university in order to make your transition to Higher Education in Britain as seamless as possible. By means of authentic tasks and activities, you will acquire a number of essential skills in the field of academic reading and writing such as grammar for academic writing, locating information quickly and accurately, identifying key ideas in a text, comparing different sources of information, reading critically, and structuring an academic text.

Attendance is compulsory and full time. On successful completion of the course, you will be awarded the Foundation Certificate in English for Academic Purposes, and if you hold an offer for an academic course at Birmingham City University, provided you have appropriate academic qualifications, you will not need to retake IELTS or equivalents.

Students requiring IELTS 6.5 for progression will need to pass FCEAP with an average of 50 per cent or higher.

So, with the above conditions, successful completion of FCEAP allows you to meet the English language entry requirements and progress to your selected field of academic study at Birmingham City University.

Successful completion of the FCEAP does not provide a formal English language qualification that would necessarily be accepted by other Universities or external bodies as equivalent to IELTS 6.0 or IELTS 6.5.

Further Study

Once you have successfully completed the FCEAP, it opens the door to many different study options. These will naturally differ according to what you aim to do in the future.

If you have an offer for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at this university, provided you have the necessary academic qualifications, you won’t need to retake IELTS, or its equivalent. You’ll be able to enrol directly on to your chosen course.

If you need IELTS 6.5 for your degree course, you’ll have to pass FCEAP with a minimum average of 50 per cent.

Enhancing your employability skills

Getting your FCEAP will boost your confidence and allow you to take the next step to achieving a degree of your choice.

That might be a BA, BEng, BSc, BMus, MMus, MSc, MA, MBA or PhD. Any of these qualifications will open the door to a wide range of career options in a world which offers exciting global opportunities.

Having achieved success at this level, and having improved your written and spoken English and gained a better understanding of UK culture, you’ll feel well-equipped to make a sound career choice.

After graduating, our students have made careers in playing or teaching music professionally, opening businesses, joining their family’s firm, or where they have graduated in the arts, made the break into film, advertising, fashion and jewellery design industries.

OpportUNIty

OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.

It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.

Graduate jobs

Our students have taken up careers in playing and teaching music professionally, opening businesses, management roles within large corporations, or helping to run the family firm. Arts graduates have taken up careers in the film industry, advertising, fashion and jewellery design.

Trips and visits

You will have the opportunity to visit several places of interest in the Birmingham area, accompanied by your class tutor. These visits will form the basis for the module, Birmingham: Past and Present assessment tasks. They will also introduce you to the rich cultural heritage of Birmingham and its people.

Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.

The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC)

International students who have a serious interest in studying with us but who perhaps cannot meet the direct entry requirements, academic or English, or who have been out of education for some time, can enter Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC) and begin their degree studies.

BCUIC is part of the global Navitas Group, an internationally recognised education provider, and the partnership allows students to access the University’s facilities and services and move seamlessly through to achieving a Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham City University.

The Curzon Building — a state-of-the-art addition to our City Centre Campus — is now open and is home to our Business, English, Law and Social Sciences students.

The 24,300m² Curzon Building, which is the second phase of our City Centre Campus expansion, provides a student support hub as well as a new library, teaching and IT space, plus other student-facing facilities.

The construction of The Curzon Building also saw the complete restoration of a Victorian pub, The Eagle and Ball, which offers a unique new home to the Students Union. The Eagle and Ball pub was built between 1840 and 1850 and was known as The Moby Dick when it closed in 2007. More about the Eagle and Ball.

Curzon B

Our 100,000 square foot extension to the Curzon Building accommodating approximately 3,000 students and staff from the School of English, the New Technology Institute and Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences is now open!

Facilities housed in the new building include:

Curzon Library

ASK Student Enquiry Service

IT Services

Students’ Union at the Eagle and Ball pub

Curzon Shop

Curzon Print Centre

Restaurant

Coffee Pod.

Julia Barnes

Senior Teaching Fellow/Course Director

Julia is the course director for the Foundation Certificate in English for Academic Purposes (FCEAP), a Level 3 English language and university preparation course for International and European students. She is also module leader for three FCEAP modules: Speaking and Communication Skills, Birmingham: Past and Present and Speaking for University Purposes.